1. Field of Invention
The invention relates, generally, to a cart and, more particularly, to an assembly for providing a seat, flatbed, or drop-in container to the cart.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known to convert or customize a cart—especially a motorized cart, such as a typical golf cart (or car)—by adding accessories and/or fixtures to the golf cart (and/or removing or modifying existing structure of the golf cart). In this way, the golf cart can be used in more ways and settings than those in which the golf cart was originally intended to be used, i.e, to carry and transport a couple of golfers and their respective bags of golf clubs and other golf-related paraphernalia around a golf course.
More specifically, it is desirable to carry and transport people within and around airports, beaches, entertainment-related venues, and work sites, just to name a few places. To this end, it is known to add a seat, particularly a bench-style seat, to a golf cart such that the golf cart can carry and transport more passengers [other than the driver and front-seat passenger (or even two front-seat passengers)]. Furthermore, it is desirable to carry and transport, say, an athlete who is injured during an athletic competition and who, as a result of such injury, must remain supine for an extended period of time. To this end, it is known to add a flatbed to a golf cart such that the golf cart can carry and transport such an athlete from the site of the injury (e.g., on a field where the competition is played) to a place where the athlete can receive proper medical attention (e.g., a locker room). No doubt such a flatbed can also be used to carry and transport cargo, such as tools, that otherwise would not fit into a cargo-carrying compartment of the golf cart before the golf cart was converted or customized. In addition, it is desirable to carry and transport cargo via a motor vehicle within a community that has a generally low volume of heavy traffic while conserving fuel of the vehicle. This is especially true in a community in which, for instance, a grocery store is located a relatively short distance from a neighborhood. To this end, it is known to use a golf cart as a primary means of transportation and add a container to the golf cart such that the golf cart can carry and transport groceries from the store.
Of course, those having ordinary skill in the related art should appreciate that ways and settings in which a golf cart can be used are not limited to those just exemplified. In any event, a golf cart can be converted or customized by adding a seat, flatbed, or container to the golf cart such that the golf cart carries and transports more people and cargo than the golf cart otherwise would do so. Nevertheless, a single aftermarket assembly that adds a seat, flatbed, and container to a golf cart such that the golf cart satisfactorily so carries and transports more people and cargo is not known in the related art.
For example, in the known related art, the container is not satisfactorily secured to the golf cart. In particular, the container is only hemmed-in by a combination of the rear of a front seat of the golf cart and a set of, say, rails, wherein each of the front seat and rails merely butts-up against a respective side of the container. Consequently, the container can operatively move, especially upward, with respect to the surface upon which the container is supported. To keep the container from being displaced from the golf cart if the container were to move upward from such surface during operation of the golf cart, the top of the rails of the assembly of the known related art are positioned substantially high above the plane defined by the opening into the container. However, as a result of such positioning, much (if not most or even all) of that part or those parts of the cargo that is/are positioned above the container is/are essentially boxed-in by the front seat and rails. In this way, the shape and size of much (if not most or even all) of the cargo that the assembly of the known related art can carry and transport is substantially limited to the shape and size that fits in the collective volume of the interior of the container and space defined interior of the front seat and rails.
Thus, there is a need in the related art for a single aftermarket assembly that adds a seat, flatbed, and container to a golf cart such that the golf cart satisfactorily carries and transports more people and cargo than the golf cart otherwise would do so. There is a need in the related art for such an assembly also the container of which is satisfactorily secured to the golf cart. There is a need in the related art for such an assembly also the container of which is not allowed to operatively move in any direction. There is a need in the related art for such an assembly also the shape and size of cargo that it can carry and transport in the container is not substantially limited. There is a need in the related art for such an assembly also that can be specifically designed to be employed with a particular type of golf cart. There is a need in the related art also for a drop-in container that can be used with a seat kit—such as a two-in-one fold-down (a seat folded down into a flatbed)—for a particular type of golf cart.